Aruna born on 2000-01-10 in , India.
Education : Physical Education – Chandigarh University, India
Language Spoken : English, Hindi
Coach : Sandhya Bharti [national]
She fractured her right foot two months before the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China. She went on to compete at the tournament and won bronze in the K44 -47kg event. (sportskeeda.com, 25 Oct 2023; SportsDeskOnline, 11 Apr 2024)
She was forced to retire during her K44 -49kg quarterfinal repechage bout at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo due to a hairline fracture. (Instagram profile, 18 Nov 2023; thebridge.in, 08 Dec 2021; india.com, 02 Sep 2021)
She took up taekwondo at age eight and competed in non-Para events until 2017, when she switched to Para taekwondo. “I always believed that I could compete against anybody. It was only when I was declared ineligible to compete at international level that I opted to compete in the Paralympic category.” (thebridge.in, 19 Aug 2021; timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 28 Jun 2021; theprint.in, 15 Jun 2021)
Reason: She was introduced to taekwondo after opting for mixed martial arts when coach Robin Singh visited her school for a training camp. “Since childhood, I have been a big fan of martial arts.” (thebridge.in, 19 Aug 2021; republicworld.com, 12 Jun 2021)
Ambition:
Milestones: She became the first taekwondo athlete to represent India at the Paralympic Games when she participated in the K44 -49kg event at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. (hindustantimes.com, 20 Jul 2023; SportsDeskOnline, 11 Apr 2024)
She became the first athlete representing India to win a medal in taekwondo at the Asian Para Games when she took bronze in the K44-47kg event as the sport made its debut at the 2022 Games in Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China. (Instagram profile, 23 Oct 2023; SportsDeskOnline, 11 Apr 2024)
Training: She trains at the Sports Authority of India Centre in Lucknow, India. (Sports Authority of India Instagram profile, 20 Mar 2024)
Influence: Her parents. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 28 Jun 2021)
Philosophy: “The harder you work for something, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it.” (Facebook page, 24 May 2020)
Award: In 2023 she received the Sports Achiever Award at the Haryana Garima Awards in India. (Garnet & Gold Facebook page, 03 Jun 2023)
In 2022 she received the National Diamond Award in Haryana, India. (Chandigarh University Facebook page, 20 Apr 2022)
| Rank | Event | Year | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championships | ||||
| 3 | Women’s K43 -49kg W | 2019 | Antalya, TUR | |
| 9 | K44 -47kg | 2021 | Istanbul, TUR | |
| Asian Para Games | ||||
| 3 | K44 -47kg | 2022 | Hangzhou, CHN | |
Follow on INSTAGRAM https://instagram.com/arunatanwar_paralympian/
